Duszak v. United States

58 Fed. Cl. 518, 2003 U.S. Claims LEXIS 335, 2003 WL 22751577
CourtUnited States Court of Federal Claims
DecidedNovember 18, 2003
DocketNo. 03-1424 C
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 58 Fed. Cl. 518 (Duszak v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Court of Federal Claims primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Duszak v. United States, 58 Fed. Cl. 518, 2003 U.S. Claims LEXIS 335, 2003 WL 22751577 (uscfc 2003).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

HEWITT, Judge.

This is a takings action. Before the court is defendant’s Motion to Dismiss. For the following reasons, defendant’s motion is GRANTED.

I. Background

On June 10, 2003, plaintiff Malgorzata Duszak filed a takings claim in this court against the United States of America. Complaint (Compl.) at 1. Plaintiffs claim arises out of the removal by the United States Marshals Service (USMS) of plaintiffs personal property from her sublet apartment. Compl. ¶¶ 5, 12, 13. Plaintiff sublet the apartment, located at 370 Negley Avenue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from Mutual Assignment & Indemnity Company (MAIC).1 Id. ¶¶ 4, 5. Plaintiff states that, because she often traveled, plaintiff rarely stayed in her apartment. Id. ¶ 7.

Plaintiff alleges that the USMS entered her apartment searching for a man, Mr. Keith Maydak, id. ¶ 11, who “did not, does not, and never resided in the apartment,” id. ¶ 10, and “[b]ased on information and belief,” the USMS took personal items from the apartment, id. ¶ 12. Plaintiff states that the USMS had a civil bench warrant for the arrest of Mr. Maydak in connection with his failure to appear for a supervised release hearing before the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.2 Id. ¶ 8. Plaintiff asserts that, based on Mr. Maydak’s association with her apartment sublessor MAIC, the USMS believed that he resided at plaintiffs apartment, MAIC’s rental property. Id. ¶ 9.

In the course of conducting a search for Mr. Maydak, the USMS entered plaintiff’s apartment and removed several personal items.3 Id. ¶¶ 11-12. Plaintiff seeks just compensation for the removal of her personal property, specifically, personal papers and diaries. Id. ¶ 18.

Defendant moves to dismiss plaintiffs complaint for lack of subject matter jurisdiction or, in the alternative, for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss (Def.’s Mot.) at 1. Defendant argues in particular that: “(1) [plaintiff] did not possess a property right which was taken by the Government’s alleged action; (2) the Government action at issue in this case is not, by nature, a taking; and (3) Ms. Dus[z]ak’s claim is not ripe.” Id. at 4.

II. Discussion

A. Standard of Review

The jurisdiction of this court, like that of all federal courts, is limited. The Tucker Act, 28 U.S.C. § 1491, confers on this court jurisdiction of claims “founded either upon the Constitution, or any Act of Congress or any regulation of an executive department, or upon any express or implied contract with the United States, or for liquidated or unliq-uidated damages in cases not sounding in tort.” 28 U.S.C. § 1491(a)(1) (2000). Rule 12(b)(1) of the Rules of the United States Court of Federal Claims (RCFC) governs dismissal for “lack of jurisdiction over the subject matter.” RCFC 12(b)(1).

Defendant moves to dismiss plaintiffs complaint for lack of subject matter jurisdiction pursuant to RCFC 12(b)(1). See Def.’s Mot. at 1. Plaintiff bears the burden of establishing that subject matter jurisdiction exists. See McNutt v. Gen. Motors Acceptance Corp., 298 U.S. 178, 189, 56 S.Ct. 780, 80 [520]*520L.Ed. 1135 (1936) (“[T]he party who seeks the exercise of jurisdiction in his favor ... must carry throughout the litigation the burden of showing that he is properly in court.”); Alder Terrace, Inc. v. United States, 161 F.3d 1372, 1377 (Fed.Cir.1998) (“[T]he burden of establishing jurisdiction ... must be carried by [the plaintiff in the underlying suit].”). “A well-pleaded allegation in the complaint is sufficient to overcome challenges to jurisdiction.” Trauma Serv. Group v. United States, 104 F.3d 1321, 1325 (Fed.Cir. 1997). But if the truth of jurisdictional facts are challenged, then the court may consider relevant evidence in order to resolve the factual dispute. Reynolds v. Army & Air Force Exch. Serv., 846 F.2d 746, 747 (Fed. Cir.1988).

This court lacks subject matter jurisdiction to adjudicate a takings claim that is not ripe for review. See Beekwilder v. United States, 55 Fed.Cl. 54, 60 (2002) (If a claim is not ripe for review, the court lacks subject matter jurisdiction to adjudicate the dispute.”). A court must determine whether a plaintiffs claim of a regulatory taking of property “is ready for judicial review under prudential ripeness principles.” See Suitum v. Tahoe Reg’l Planning Agency, 520 U.S. 725, 733, 117 S.Ct. 1659, 137 L.Ed.2d 980 (1997) (noting that the only issue presented was whether plaintiffs claim was ripe). There are “two independent prudential hurdles to a regulatory taking claim brought ... in federal court.” Id. at 733-34, 117 S.Ct. 1659. A property owner must show first that it has received a “final decision regarding the application of the [challenged] regulations to the property at issue” from “the government entity charged with implementing the regulations,” Williamson County Reg’l Planning Comm’n v. Hamilton Bank, 473 U.S. 172, 186, 105 S.Ct. 3108, 87 L.Ed.2d 126 (1985), and that it has sought “compensation through the procedures ... provided for doing so,” id. at 194, 105 S.Ct. 3108. The second hurdle requires that the plaintiff demonstrate that “it has used the procedure and been denied just compensation.” Id. at 195, 105 S.Ct. 3108.

Before addressing defendant’s arguments concerning whether the removal of plaintiffs personal property during the USMS’s execution of a bench warrant constitutes a taking, the court first considers the ripeness argument.

B. Whether Plaintiffs Takings Claim is Ripe

Defendant argues that plaintiffs claim must be dismissed as unripe. Def.’s Mot. at 13-15. Quoting Greenbrier v. United States, 193 F.3d 1348, 1358 (Fed.Cir.1999), defendant asserts that “ ‘for an “as applied” takings challenge to become ripe, the [gjovernment entity charged with implementing the statute, regulation, or ordinance at issue must have reached a “final decision” regarding its application to the property at issue.’ ” Id. at 13-14. As the Federal Circuit made clear in Greenbrier, “[t]his means that where a government entity provides procedures for obtaining such a final decision, a takings claim will not be ripe until the property Owner complies with th[o]se procedures.” 193 F.3d at 1359.

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Bluebook (online)
58 Fed. Cl. 518, 2003 U.S. Claims LEXIS 335, 2003 WL 22751577, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/duszak-v-united-states-uscfc-2003.